Michael Flynn Jr. Investigation: FBI Reportedly Wants Flynn Sr. To Turn On Trump, Leading To Impeachment
Michael Flynn Jr. is reportedly in the FBI’s crosshairs, with reports that special counsel Robert Mueller is honing in on the son of Donald Trump’s former national security adviser to get to Trump.
This week, NBC News reported that Michael G. Flynn is the subject of a federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as potential collusion between Trump’s campaign and the Russian government. The investigation stems from Flynn Jr.’s work in his father’s lobbying firm, Flynn Intel Group.
The report noted that both father and son were already entangled in allegations of wrongdoing connected to foreign governments. Flynn’s lobbying group received $530,000 for work that benefitted Turkey, although the elder Flynn failed to register as a foreign lobbyist at the time.
The report added that Mueller might be trying to go after Flynn Jr. to put the squeeze on his father and get him to share information on Trump’s possible collusion.
“Several legal experts with knowledge of the investigation have told NBC News they believe Mueller, following a classic prosecutorial playbook, is seeking to compel key players, including Flynn and Manafort, to tell what they know about any possible Trump campaign collusion with Russia. Mueller has brought onto his team a federal prosecutor known for convincing subjects to turn on associates. Any potential criminal liability for Michael G. Flynn could put added pressure on his father, these legal experts said.”
The end result could be criminal charges against Donald Trump and ultimately impeachment, legal experts noted.
That is a tactic Robert Mueller used to success in his famous prosecution of Enron, the New York Times noted. As then-FBI director, Mueller went after the wife of company CFO Andrew Fastow, charging her with tax evasion for reportedly helping hide money pilfered from the company. That led Fastow to turn on the company’s other executives to spare his wife a harsher sentence, leading to more prosecutions.
Michael Flynn Jr. has already had a difficult relationship with Donald Trump, Mother Jones noted. Flynn Jr. was originally included on Trump’s transition team but was fired by the president-elect in December after Trump reportedly became irritated by Flynn’s promotion of a conspiracy theory claiming that Hillary Clinton was involved in a child sex-trafficking ring.
Dem lawmakers say Flynn illegally concealed foreign contacts and trips during security clearance renewal process https://t.co/5pLu28vaWg pic.twitter.com/vanefFRHb7
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 13, 2017
While on Trump transition team, Flynn took $25,000+ to promote a plan to build nuclear reactors in the Middle East https://t.co/cEmwEpkjTM
— Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D (@RVAwonk) September 13, 2017
While it is not yet clear if Robert Mueller is using Michael Flynn Jr. to turn his father against Donald Trump, there is already significant pressure on Flynn Sr. coming from outside the FBI. This week, Democrats sent a letter to Mueller expressing concern about Flynn’s undisclosed 2015 trip to the Middle East, where Flynn reportedly lobbied for a foreign government to make a deal to build a nuclear reactor program, Mother Jones reported.
[Featured Image by Mark Makela/Getty Images]
